


Letter from a Coward

by MaximumSnow



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Genre: And then it turned into a little bit of Linebeck introspection whoops., But I didn't think it was enough to tag them as characters, Ciela Link Tetra and Oshus are all here and Jolene is referred to, Gen, Letter is in the second chapter, Mainly I started this because in the game I didn't remember Linebeck actually apologizing to Jolene, Teen rating is because there are a few swears sprinkled in
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28566879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaximumSnow/pseuds/MaximumSnow
Summary: Linebeck kept most of his life on his boat, but there was one loose end he never fully tied up in the Realm of the Ocean King.It's been a minute since I've played the game but from what I could easily dig up, I don't think Linebeck actually apologizes to Jolene, and a part of me kinda felt like she should have some kind of closure. If I'm wrong and he actually does, then just enjoy this as an AU version of an apology.
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

As the fog closed in around them, Linebeck couldn’t help but call out, “Kid? Sparkles? Old Man?” The kids hadn’t been _that_ far away from him, and Ciela and Oshus had originally been right in front. But the fog was so dense that he couldn’t even see beyond his outstretched hands.

The rotting planks he was standing on seemed to change into the familiar floorboards of his ship when he wasn’t paying attention, and the familiar sway of standing on his steamboat nearly floored him.

As he stumbled against the rail, Oshus’s voice echoed around him. “Unlike the children, you’ve been here for several years. Did you want to stay here? You’ve established a life here, and it would be remiss of me to not extend the offer.”

Linebeck looked in several different directions before asking dumbly, “What?”

“You wandered into my realm years ago, and you seemed content to stay.”

“I didn’t even know _when_ that happened. I just thought I found somewhere off the maps I had.”

“And you never sought to leave.”

The piercing implied question irritated him, and spilling his life story now wasn’t going to happen. “… It’s complicated.”

“Well, is it less complicated now?”

That made Linebeck bite back the sarcastic quip that had been building, and he reached up to rub the back of his head. “Home is wherever my boat is,” He said while fondly patting the railing. “Heading to different waters won’t change that.”

“But you will never have the same stomping grounds if you leave. I just want to make sure you are completely okay with that.”

“… Thanks, I guess. But…” He thought of a child who seemed to forget that that’s what he still was. “Kinda want to keep an eye on the kid, you know?”

A yellow ball of light appeared in his peripheral. “Wow, admitting to having a heart for once?”

“Oh can it, Sparkles,” he immediately spat out. “You know how he is.”

“Yeah, I do.” The fact that she lost her bite so quickly sobered him up. Right, this was gonna be the last time they saw each other. “He… Still hasn’t told you everything. He might not ever. But I’m kinda glad I didn’t need to argue with you to leave with him.”

“Can’t tell me why that is?”

“If you’re gonna find out, it’s better if you find out from him,” She said airily. Her wings appeared to shake a few times before she settled in front of him, “Since this got sprung on you suddenly, I’m here to make sure you don’t have any loose ends you want to tie up. Sort of as a last favor, and a thank you.”

“Uhhh. I really would have appreciated to find out about this sooner so that I _could_ figure that out.”

“Hey, I didn’t know this rift was going to open up right now either, so don’t give me that. Just give me some money to close up your bar tab or something.”

Before he could retort, Oshus’s voice cut through the familiar banter. “Linebeck, your time is limited.”

Right. He quickly tried to think of anything that he was leaving behind. Despite Ciela’s jab, he had pointedly kept his bar tabs paid, and he didn’t have any other outstanding debts.

Wait.

He took off running towards the cabin on the ship. “Oh shit, I never sent that letter to Jolene!”

As if she wasn’t expending any effort to keep up with him, she floated by his head and scolded, “Really, Linebeck? I thought you took care of that.”

_“I thought I had more time, Sparkles. I was trying to make sure I didn’t piss her off any more than she already was. Hell, I thought I might try and say it to her face.”_

That clearly dumbfounded her. “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any braver, you go and admit you were thinking of actually talking to her instead of hiding.”

“Well, I clearly wasn’t brave enough considering I still only have a half written letter, and now I need to finish it. Now keep it down while I finish this, okay?” He waved the fairy away and settled at the charting desk.

After a few minutes of furious writing, he folded the paper up, and even added a postage stamp. “Just in case, don’t want to leave a debt after all.”

She floated by his hand and grabbed the letter. “I’ll make sure this gets to her. Promise.”

“Thanks-”

“I have to send you now, so hold on...” Oshus’s voice ended the conversation. Linebeck barely got his hand back up to wave goodbye to the fairy before the fog became so thick, he couldn’t even see the interior of his boat.

* * *

He wasn’t sure when it happened, but he was lying on his back in the middle of the cabin room when his eyes opened. Sitting up was an effort, like he had been laid out for hours, and his back made an unpleasant cracking sound.  
  
“Why was I on the floor...” He asked aloud to no one in particular. His brain was as foggy as if he had just woken up from a long nap. “Did I drink _that_ much?”

He made an effort to stand while he tried to piece together what lead up to him passing out on the floor, and at first his mind drew a blank.

Strangely, there wasn’t any indication he drank the night prior. When he saw the still open chart on the floor, the last few hours came rushing back.

He frantically looked around for Link and his friend. “Kid?!” From what he could see, there wasn’t any sign of either of the teenagers that he had traveled with. He ran out onto the deck, and, when he didn’t see them there, he couldn’t help but look overboard.

After a few minutes, he finally looked towards the horizon, and, in the distance, he could see the fully intact ghost ship. The lack of fog confused him, but it didn’t stop his heart from stopping at the sight.

Another ship pulled up beside it, and at that point, Linebeck had to run back and pull out a telescope to get a better look.

His boat was facing the wrong way for him to get there in time, and he thought maybe if he knew what the unfortunate souls looked like, then maybe… He wasn’t even sure how to finish that thought.

To his great surprise, the kid and his friend hopped over from the ghost ship to the other ship, and started talking with the people on there. To say that he was relieved would be an understatement, but the distraction of the other people on board steered his thoughts away from that.

… Link _had_ mentioned that Tetra was the captain of a ship, now that he thought about it. Given how the sailors appeared to be deferring to her, it seemed increasingly likely that they had somehow found their old ship. Despite that, there was an animated discussion going on, and he couldn’t even begin to imagine how that was going.

Man, he really had to give Oshus credit for not dumping them in the middle of nowhere.

A small part of him, however, was uneasy. Surely the kid wouldn’t need him anymore now that he was back with Tetra and all of his crewmates? The thought of slipping away while they weren’t looking crossed his mind.

He couldn’t deny the thought tempted him. He had been a loner barring some notable exceptions, and the thought of being pulled into a proper crew daunted him.

That and there was no way he would ever live up to his earlier moment of courage again. Link by now knew what a coward he was, but that moment of courage would be expected of him again, wouldn’t it? He didn’t want to be a dis-

Wait. He wrote an entire damn letter explaining why he ran from Jolene, and it was happening again.

If he ran away again, he wouldn’t have learned anything. And the kid seemed to like him, for whatever reason. And the way Ciela had talked about planning on arguing with him to go with Link had concerned him…

Well… It wasn’t like the kid was going to expect him to be a dungeon delver, right? He already knew that would be a disaster.

Maybe he should stick around.

Deciding to announce his presence, he went back into the cabin and blew the horn. When he looked out the window, he could see the kid practically leaning on the railing and waving.

Smiling, he waved back even though he wasn’t sure if they could see him, and steered the ship to the other boat.

He didn’t notice when the ghost ship simply disappeared, but when he managed to turn his boat around, the fact that the ominous ship was gone startled him. He figured it had to be Oshus’s doing, but he really wished the old man-whale-spirit thing had chosen a less foreboding way to handle the matter.

Either way, his thoughts turned back to the kid waiting for him, and he decided that he’d forgive Oshus this time.

He had a new life in new waters to figure out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the content of the letter.

From: Linebeck

  
To: Jolene

_S_ o this has been an awkward letter to start. I know that I should actually just say this to your face, but by now we both know I’m too much of a coward for that.

I’m sorry.

There. That’s the gist of it. I could explain why I did it, but I don’t think it’d really matter in the long run. But I owe you an apology.

_[There’s a long line marked through here as if the writer was sectioning the letter off. The next section is written much more hastily]_

I’ve been trying to figure out how to word this letter better, and I did plan on trying to say it to you directly instead, but… I only just found out that I’m going somewhere that I don’t think the post can follow.

I’m following the kid to different seas, and we both only just found out it’s a one way trip, and we’ve already started the process. Thankfully, a friend of ours who is staying volunteered to hand this off if I could finish it quickly.

So to reiterate what the earlier part of the letter was saying: I’m sorry.

The explanation was that I couldn’t talk to you face to face over the simple fact that you were much more courageous and rough and tumble than me, and I didn’t want to deal with the inevitable disappointment when you realized how weak I was.

Stupid, right?

I thought that stealing something small would burn the bridge just enough that you would never want talk to me again.

I don’t know, apparently at the time I thought that it would be better if I did something to actively make you hate me quickly instead of a long and drawn-out realization that I wasn’t worth it.

I promise that I did not hate you, nor did I realize how you felt. I only figured the latter out when Ciela spelled it out for me, and she never let me forget how dense I was. I would like to give myself some credit that I might have been more delicate had I known, but knowing me, I probably would have set a bigger bonfire in a panic. So I guess it’s better that I didn’t.

There, that’s the explanation. I don’t know if it’ll give you any closure or not to know why, but know I’m not expecting your forgiveness or anything like that. I know I fucked up.

I’m sorry I didn’t get the courage to try this face to face, but we don’t have the time now.

May the wind always blow at your back.


End file.
